Most of us are aware that refined sugars contain zero nutritional benefits, are bad for our health, and lead to unwanted weight gain, breakouts, and even unwanted cardiac diseases. However, it's sometimes difficult to resist the urge to pop open a stack of Oreos when it is sitting right in front of you.
But it's not just cookies that are sabotaging our diets—sugar is prevalent in almost everything from crackers, chips, juices, smoothies, condiments, and even canned foods.
Eating less refined sugars has plenty of nutritional benefits. You have to fill your body with good, natural sugars to gain boosts in energy, clearer skin, and weight loss.
While there are snacks in the grocery stores you can buy that claim to be "healthy" or "organic", it doesn't correlate with being refined sugar-free. Once you're on the look-out for excess sugars, finding snacks that fit the bill can be a hard task.
Fortunately, you can easily make plenty of refined sugar-free snacks. All of these treats, if sweetened, are sweetened with just fruit. You can easily take advantage of nature's purest sweetener. Besides the health benefits, making your own is a more economical way to fuel your body.
1. Almond Butter Covered Strawberries
I absolutely love almond butter and strawberries. It's like an upgraded version of apples and peanut butter, one of the snacks that I used to eat as a kid. All you have to do is wash some strawberries, and submerge them in almond butter, then enjoy. This is such a simple, healthy, yet delicious snack sure to satiate your afternoon munchies. In addition, this snack is perfect for those eating Paleo or Whole30, since there are no added sugars, legumes, or grains.
2. Peanut Caramel Snickers Bites
Sometimes, it's easier to just open the cabinet and crack open a candy or granola bar. For those days where you crave candy, try out some energy bites. If you love peanuts, caramel, and snickers, you'll be in for a real treat when you try these. They're made of just two ingredients: peanuts and dates.
3. Popcorn
Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks, but often times, the ones sold in stores contain hydrogenated oils or BPA packaging. While they may not be refined sugars, hydrogenated oils are not good for your health and neither is food contained in BPA packaging. BPA is bad; it can seep into foods and can cause diseases such as cancer. This version of popcorn uses coconut oil and organic corn to make for a delicious snack.
4. Roasted Chickpeas
Perhaps you aren't like me and don't have a massive sweet tooth. Maybe you prefer something salty. These roasted chickpeas are the perfect snack for you. They're crisp, flavorful, and easy to make.
5. Cookie Dough Dip
Who out here loves eating raw cookie dough? Well if you are like me and love to do so, this treat is perfect for you. This dip is made from chickpeas, sweetened with dates, and filled with chocolate chips. While chickpeas may seem like an absurd ingredient, it goes really well with the dip and does not add a chickpea flavor to it.
At first, it may seem hard to wean yourself from consuming refined sugars, but once you do, you will find that natural sugars are just as tasty and even more nutritious. It's never a bad time to add vitamins and minerals into your diet. Although refined sugars are not completely bad for you, it is important to eat whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and produce.